‘Maskirovka’ musings of Pakistan have been going on for the last six decades, ever since the conceptualisation of the dream of the ‘Islamic Caliphate’ by the cunning and clever establishment of Pakistan. The enshrinement of Islamic ideology in the mainstream military and ‘awaam’ of Pakistan; the latter lured by the bogey of Kashmir and nuclear propaganda, was conceived by General Zia-Ul-Haq through his puppet Brigadier SK Malik who was bestowed with the dishonour of linking the Quran to “ways to dismember” other religions and cut Bharat too. The anti-humanity blasphemy was printed as ‘The Qur’anic Concept of War’; a book which has become the cornerstone and edifice of the barbaric Pakistan Armed Forces too, which somehow gave them religious immunity to behead people and soldiers, maim innocents while firing at them from gunships and using terror as an instrument of statecraft in Pakistan. This indoctrination has been so resolute, effective and widespread within and outside of Pakistan that its tenets have been used by their diplomats to sway perceptions, buy journalists and people of eminence and make inroads into governance and military structures in other target countries and eventually degrade their societal strength. To add to the devil’s powers, the Middle East in large parts and the USA have been aiding Pakistan. Some Middle Eastern countries have given an enormous amount of money to Pakistan; more from the point of creating an Islamic Caliphate and Pakistan being sort of one of the chosen ones as it spun the Kashmir narrative into a religious and ideological motive. The USA, on the other hand, saw Pakistan as a pawn against the Soviet Union in its fight to control Afghanistan and reaches around it and accordingly gave many grants on many pretexts, including from global organisations which it tacitly controlled, while knowing well down the line that Pakistan was misusing it for a sustained ideological war and creating capabilities of terrorism against Bharat. Since Bharat was clearly defined as a friend of the Soviet Union during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the USA never saw Bharat as a probable ally then, while friendly overtures were made in some matters and spheres. The UK too through time, got consumed by Pakistan ‘witchcraft’ and today stands exposed as it is now turning into an Islamic Hell; gradually and yet seemingly surely, unless they wake up and smell the coffee and stop seeing Pakistani citizens as cheap labour and workforce and understand the intent of the Islamist radicals. The art of deception became more obvious and pungent, as they convinced many countries in the West and Europe to showcase themselves as innocent and Bharat as an aggressor; much since perception warfare was unknown to Bharat, and it also wasn’t a match to stories and narratives driven by the West and Europe. Pakistan made inroads into think tanks, global organisations, foreign governments and more and that coupled with the perennial support of China and backing of the USA, solidified its venomous narratives against the interests of Bharat. Advantage Pakistan All Along till Operation ‘Sindoor’ Right from the initiation of war with Pre-emptive Strikes against a stronger Country like Bharat and then running to allies, the West and the United Nations to accrue a Ceasefire to boasting with a ‘Notion of Victory’ even after being vanquished without doubt, Pakistan has effectively used Deception, Propaganda and tenets of ‘the Qur’anic Concept of War’ right through each situation and with good effect, with eulogies of their success and wins being printed and spoken by media that they cultivated and bought out and also influenced with help of the West. The key advantages that ‘Puny Pakistan’ has been able to gain over the years, against National Interests of India, till recently, have been as follows: – A. Prepare a base through its operatives and Embassy Staff and buy out journalists, politicians, personalities of eminence and even the security apparatus. Seemingly, right through the early days, they were supported and even compensated with some ‘Jaichands’ within India and that included some from the political class who enjoyed Cocktail Circuit opulence courtesy of the Wine, Women and Wealth offered by Pakistan and its agents. B. Plan and execute the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, with local Islamist Radicals and even government machinery which played a tacit role and did not thwart such a nefarious design. C. Carry out Infiltration and establish the OGWs Network, with the support of Indoctrinated locals and officials. D. Conduct terror attacks and negate punitive actions through backdoor channels and paid stooges in government offices in India. E. Openly have channels of illegal trade and in the process benefitting the caretakers in India. F. Prop up local leaders, some of whom eventually established themselves as elected leaders as well. G. In cahoots with traitors within India, be able to adversely affect the economy and geopolitical growth of India. In doing so then even got access to wherewithal to print counterfeit which was as good as actuals; till such time Demonetisation was done by Bharat. H. Through cultivated assets, they have been able to make the cases against themselves seem weak, each time the Government of Bharat tried to seek legal recourse through international bodies and organisations. J. Return of Prisoners of War (PsOW) and especially post-1971 War, where they duped a willing Indian Leadership to not only give back PsOW while they did not return PsOW taken by themselves, they also were able to take back Key Terrain, captured by India and then enter into the Shimla Agreement which has left many thorns along the Line of Control (LC) to take care of today; where the Pakistan Army has dominating positions; a case in point being Hajipir Pass, near Uri, where we had a terrorist attack in the last decade. K. Retain ‘Nuclear Bogey’ over decades and behind that ‘Shield of Blackmail’ being able to promote Terrorism as Statecraft and attempt to achieve Parity with India. L. Use the “Favours of the USA” to build relations with China and create a wedge between other known powers and India. Pakistan eventually gave away its economy to China in trade for support during the war with India; something which could eventually be futile as well; given the emerging geopolitical scenarios. M. Nearly with a free-hand, as if the Indian side had allowed such blatant actions, carry out the shelling of civilian areas near Jammu, Akhnoor etc and also target Indian Army posts routinely with cases of beheading of Indian soldiers along the LC being undertaken till before 2014 when a new Government was formed in Bharat. N. Manage to restrict the punitive actions of the Indian Armed Forces through deceptive diplomacy and putting pressure on their ‘Assets in India’. Some of the above have been also due to weak leadership and lack of vision therein of Political Leadership and Bureaucracy of India, which got sold out to propaganda, lure and mostly due to extraneous considerations as well which lingered due to their vested interests and Pakistan obliged through its ‘Illicit Networks’. Pahalgam and Beyond: Pakistani ‘MASKIROVKA’ Losing Sheen The terrorist attack at Pahalgam was duly orchestrated by Pakistan, soon after the rant of General Asim Munir at a gathering in Pakistan where he exhorted Islamic Radicalism. In sync with that ‘Ideological Rant’ from a Pakistan Military leader, the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack was surgical against non-Muslim tourists, including some foreign nationals. The core of ‘The Qur’anic Concept of War’ was executed with a view to imposing terror, hampering global tourism and the economy of Jammu and Kashmir and above all a feeble attempt to question the Abrogation of Article 370. Post this dastardly attack on unsuspecting innocents at Pahalgam, Pakistan for the first time, did not even shed any crocodile tears. A terrorist group from Pakistan staked claim and later discerning the intent of Bharat, withdrew that claim stating that their account was hacked. If the series of faux pas was not over, a Minister from Pakistan, in an interview with a foreign channel from the West, stated that Pakistan was abetting terrorism and grooming terrorists on its soil and as if with a tone of blackmail mentioned they did so for other Western Powers; implying the USA and UK; with maybe an eye towards China as well and hope that these countries will fall in line with the narrative being planned by Pakistan. Once the Punitive Strikes were launched by Bharat, in retaliation to strikes by Pakistan on civilians and military bases, the Pakistani Air Force spokesperson bloated about how they had carried out the Pulwama Attack. Also, in another turn of events, Pakistan Army high-ranking officials, civil administration and others attended the funeral of terrorists who were eliminated in strikes by Bharat on their Terror Camps and Headquarters, including in Pakistan for the first time, at Muridke, Sialkot and Bahawalpur. And thus, the infallible ‘Perception Management Network’ began to crumble rather fast, with Bharat adding to the Dossier of Pakistan’s involvement in promoting Terrorism. Pakistan has always remained in denial of the death of its soldiers like one witnessed in the Kargil War, destruction of assets like we observed post-Balakot Strike by the Indian Air Force when Pakistan said ‘some crows were hit’ or, words to that effect. However, the zeal to claim a ‘Notion of Victory’ has always remained high and even after strikes by the Indian Armed Forces recently, their Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif actually declared victory in the war; while none was on and also profusely thanked the USA with a hope that Team Trump will accept them again as a vassal state and fund and arm them too. High hopes but ‘Umeed par Duniya Kayam Hai’ for Pakistan; a country which has fast run itself into an Abyss of Terrorism and Economic Crisis. Recently when a Pakistan Minister went for an interview with a western channel and bragged about Pakistan destroying aircraft and assets of the Indian Air Force, the Minister fumbled, as he had lied and eventually said he had made claims based on social media posts. While it sounded bizarre, the lies stemmed from the need to appease the naive ‘Awaam’ of Pakistan but then it totally backfired and today the ‘Awaam’ of Pakistan is questioning the Leadership, while General Asim Munir hides in a Bunker; fearing Missiles from Bharat and Murderers within Pakistan who might be looking for him. It will be prudent to summarise that the Pakistan Military and its Polity has lost ground within and outside Pakistan with questions being raised on their intent, actions and propaganda. This truly is the ‘Turning of the Tables’ in Perception Warfare and an opportune time for Bharat to Step Up and claim the Pole Position for the future, especially when it is superior in all aspects of National Power and certainly doesn’t want to be considered at parity with the failed-state Pakistan. The Divinity and Depth of Operation ‘SINDOOR’: Change of Perception Baton Operation ‘SINDOOR’ coupled with the accurate Post Strike Damage Assessment (PSDA) and Press Briefings has brought out the ‘Chanakya Alive’ moment in Bharat and it seems that Bharat is willing to Step Up the Perception Warfare and usher in its own ‘MASKIROVKA’ Era. The ability of the Government Departments, visibility of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), ‘Perception Push’ by our Military with its sets of Press Briefings scaled up by the DGMO and colleagues from IAF and IN, positive posts and negating fakes by social media influencers as our citizens, diaspora and friends of Bharat etc have all brought together an ‘involuntary bond’ which could shape the Perception Battles for Bharat hereon with more energy and accuracy. The maturity of handling the Pahalgam Crisis, taking time to deliver an appropriate response, reacting initially as Pakistan stepped up the Escalation Ladder and then with swiftness seizing an opportunity to strike at Airbases and military installations in Pakistan has made Bharat feel good about its own accomplishment and has made it look Bolder, Bigger and Better to the World, as Pakistan is about to lose its stand for parity with Bharat. Effective handling of media with openness and ability to negate ‘All Propaganda’ without exception, which was hurled by Pakistan and allped up by its lapdogs across the globe, has made Bharat look very positive to the World at large. The messaging by our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji in his Address to the Nation on 12 May 2025, laid out some strict guidelines and an echoing warning to Pakistan and this ‘Stern Delivery’ seems to carry more weight than the Nuclear Arsenal of Pakistan and something which the World will take note of too. During this Operation ‘SINDOOR’ Bharat has ‘Seized the Initiative’ and is now poised to curate the Narratives for and in the Future. The gains accrued to Bharat due to the ongoing Operation ‘SINDOOR’ can be summarised as follows: – A. Shedding and reiterating that ‘No First Use’ in the nuclear domain is not applicable as a self-imposed restraint for Bharat, now compels Pakistan to rethink the Escalation Ladder, especially when Bharat has struck 11 Airbases and Installations in Pakistan with impunity and that too without crossing the IB or, LC. B. Equating ‘Proxy War’ and ‘Terror Attack’ to an ‘Act of War’ sends a distinct warning to Pakistan and is a veiled caution for any country that abets Pakistan in its endeavour to carry out terror attacks against Bharat. This allows the retention of initiative by Bharat and provides an avenue to build up momentum in actions at will. C. Bharat will be able to dictate conditions and rules for engagement by setting into motion those actions directly and without referring to the world and certainly with no clue to Pakistan. This would keep Pakistan under a leash till such time it doesn’t want to seek destruction itself at the hands of Bharat. D. The margin for Error; both in Actions and Perception for Pakistan had drastically reduced and its ‘Awaam’ has become more aware of the post-ongoing Operations being launched and PSDA Briefs being aired across the globe. E. The actions of the Armed Forces of Bharat, public voicing of facts and opinion by Team Bharat with MEA leading it to differentiate between Partners and Preachers and the stern messaging by the Prime Minister of Bharat; all have collectively put out a caution amidst those who were fence-sitters in matters pertaining to Pakistan and Bharat and some who had the urge to abstain in global forums to promote funding and favours to Pakistan. F. This Operation which has been carried out professionally and enabled Diplomacy to gain weight, supported the geopolitical narrative of Bharat and infused fear in Pakistan, will also benefit the Armed Forces as public memory gets etched with the positives of their efforts and hopefully, this will bring back focus not only on equipping and paying the Armed Forces better but also bringing in parity between Armed Forces and other Services; especially when the Political Will of Bharat has been reinforced and solidified due to Military actions. The National Outlook towards Armed Forces will gain more positivity and strength. G. The nomenclature and its defining by the Prime Minister carry a bigger message for the citizens and diaspora themselves in Bharat and the emergence of a tolerant ‘Sanatan Dharma’ is gaining momentum and acceptance as part of reviving the Civilizational Roots of our Bharat. Retaining the ‘MASKIROVKA’ Edge Gained with Operation ‘SINDOOR’ Momentum It will take more than raising a few pertinent points that are entwined with the future of Bharat. Let’s simply list the action points and ponder later to dissect each one of them over conversations across multiple platforms of new media: – A. Curate a long-term Succession Plan for Leadership at the Political level, as feasible. The grooming and rise should be commensurate with the Succession Plan for long-lasting effects. B. Interaction of Political Leadership along with Bureaucracy with the Indian Armed Forces during Corps and Command Wargames so that we together ‘Own Plans’ and plan better for their execution promptly and with the least back and forth. C. Better Leadership Selection Process for Armed Forces. The weaknesses need to be identified, and surgical actions must ensue to revive the morale and professional strength. D. Increasing War Wastage Reserves (WWR) from 15 days to 30 to 60 days; depending on the criticality of military hardware and dependency on global supply chains. The reduction of WWR to 15 days has not been commensurate with our capabilities and far many lacunae need to be ironed out for now. This will bring in more confidence in Bharat, its Polity and Military. E. Parity of Armed Forces with other Services to bring in better synergy and speed in actions. Hierarchical hindrances in the effective Civil-Military domain must be removed and that takes political will. The benefits of levelling fairly will support Operations and Missions in the future. F. Effective use of its Diaspora and Business Leaders across the Planet. A Pool of such people with leadership to manage and ensure the propagation of information through Podcasts, social media conversations, Webinars etc is planned for and executed well. G. Empower our Embassies and Consulates to enhance Awareness and engage in true Perception Management at all levels including society. H. An effective and empowered ‘Cyber Warrior’ Team to assist with identifying Fake and Deep Fake and counter-measures. I. Get Citizens involved in more conversations and actions for improving National Security. The MyGov App should be used for such delicate conversations and seeking ideas. J. Just like we had experimented with Joint Secretaries from the Private Sector, the same needs to be done for many aspects connected directly and indirectly to Perception Management. K. Creating a selection of effective, fluent and nationalist Veterans from Armed Forces, amongst Diplomats, Police, Government, Media, Polity and eminent Citizens who could be trusted with information, and they are capable to influence positively even in adverse situations. L. Enhance the role and scope of engagement for mainstream Media Agencies with some supervision of experts as needed, especially during military operations and critical national security threats. Also, similarly blunt and block anti-national narrative spinners. M. Focus on education system reforms such that the next generations are more aware of history, aspects of national security and perceptions as they shape economies, militaries, diplomacy and nearly everything where two or more countries interact. While the name ‘MASKIROVKA’ suggests deception, Bharat needs to build factual narratives that build trust and loyalty with friendly countries and bring about a larger consortium which pledges to fight terrorism and, in the process, either tames or, punishes Pakistan and as a partner of Bharat. Curating a ‘MASKIROVKA’ might seem simple, while retaining the edge and retaining the momentum will always be a challenge in the information age, when one wrong move, even by a miscreant or, loose cannon, can bring down the national narrative and stand. Let’s be positive that Bharat will curate and implement such moves that define Operation ‘SINDOOR’ as not only a win, of our holistic national power, seized by our Armed Forces but also an edifice to build on in future, so that the construct remains beyond comprehension and reach of our adversaries. Read about ceasefire here, as Pakistan is likely to wink this season itself due to internal pressures and its innate desire to hit back for abrogation of Article 370 by Bharat and in consonance with its unfulfilled and lame wish to usurp Kashmir, while it itself stands a chance to loose PoK sooner than later amidst uprisings within Pakistan and with the freedom struggle of Balochistan against its tyranny. Pakistanis must look within and discard their polity & military that befools them and feeds them the myth of Kashmir as fodder and sends some of them on infamous Route72, while the rest stay in poverty. Colonel Rohit Dev, a 2nd Generation Army Officer, is an Adjunct Professor at the Rashtriya Raksha University, a geopolitical analyst and a primetime TV personality. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.